"7 Reasons Your Weight Loss May Have Stalled" Review
Introduction
You may want to review these reasons if you’ve hit the weight loss wall. They will help you rethink your approach (from the MSN/Today article "7 Reasons Your Weight Loss May Have Stalled”).
The List of Reasons
1. YOU OVERESTIMATE HOW MANY CALORIES A WORKOUT BURNS.
If you sign up for a fitness class that claims to burn 800 calories in an hour or even provides a calorie burn total, it could be completely wrong.
Huh? The amount of energy exerted in the class varies from person to person. Are you punching your fists as hard as the instructor in the kickboxing class? Do you weigh the same amount as her, and how fast are your feet going? These questions need to be answered for an accurate calorie burn count.
Unless you're wearing a heart-rate monitor, you won’t find an accurate count of the number of calories you've burned in a 60-minute workout class.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: In all honesty, I wouldn’t lean on the calories you burn during your fitness sessions. Considering the number of factors (i.e., intensity, ability, etc.) that can affect your caloric output, it is tough to determine the actual number of calories. Also, you can easily wipe away any progress, no matter the number, with a Snickers bar. You’ll have better luck minimizing your caloric intake instead (to a certain extent).
2. YOU THINK THAT THE CARDIO MACHINES ARE ALWAYS RIGHT.
As a certified personal trainer, I've heard this from my clients time and time again: "But the elliptical machine says I burned 500 calories in an hour, even though I felt like I could've fallen asleep!"
These machines are programmed to give estimates of how many calories you're actually burning. They typically don't know anything about you: your body size, weight, body fat, or exertion level. Many machines only account for how fast you're going, so they provide an inaccurate estimate of how many calories you're burning.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Well said. I always estimate on the low end.
3. YOU SWEAR BY YOUR CALORIE COUNTER APP.
When you're tracking your food in these apps, Lisa De Fazio, a registered dietitian, suggested that most people need to accurately measure or estimate portions, so their daily caloric intake is often actually more than what they list on a food-tracking app.
"For example, eating 1/2 cup of rice versus 1 cup or one tablespoon of dressing versus three tablespoons makes a big difference in daily caloric intake. These calories add up!" she explained.
Another registered dietitian, Deborah Malkoff-Cohen, told her clients only to trust calorie-tracking apps for pre-packaged items.
"Everything else is subjective. For example, take an apple. Is it a small, medium, or large apple? Every app will give you a different calorie count," she noted.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: There’s no way around this problem…Unless you physically measure the food ingredients yourself. I realize that this task is more of a burden. Since you’re motivated to lose weight, it may be worth measuring your favorite foods once for reference. If you plan to eat it anyway, you might as well know the truth behind it.
4. YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR DAY SITTING.
When you burn many calories in a grueling workout but then sit at your desk all day or lounge on the weekends, you don't burn many calories beyond your workout.
If you label yourself "extremely active" in health apps, they can wrongly assume you're not sitting all day. As a result, they'll overestimate the number of calories your body burns throughout the day.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Exercising 5-7 days per week for an hour apiece doesn’t make you active, unfortunately. An active person moves all day (not sitting). Challenge yourself to add extra steps during the most minor tasks. The cumulative effect will show itself on the scale.
5. YOU NEVER SWITCH THINGS UP.
If you've been following the same weight-loss program, which is focused on the same workouts and restricted-calorie diet, your body can tell. When your body gets used to a certain type of exercise, the calories you burn initially aren't necessarily the same as the calories you burn after doing that routine 25 times.
To prevent this from happening, try to change up your workouts every couple of weeks. Mix cardio with high-intensity routines, try cycling classes, or take a speed walk. Keep things new and exciting!
Personal Trainer Wisdom: I'm not sure I agree with the idea of switching things up to keep your body surprised. I’m not sure there's an anatomic truth in that statement. I can give you other reasons to switch it up, though. First, you may build your muscular strength and endurance for that particular movement (making it more stable and robust to handle and thus easier accessible on the body), which is lovely but less effective for burning calories in the short term (unless you value the muscle-building that's occurring and the calorie-burning benefits of the muscle growth). A slight pivot to something different may relight the body the way you want (but don't overlook the progress you've made in other areas). Second, slight modifications to your typical movement may recruit a whole new level of stabilization (which is more taxing to your system). Be mindful of your progress and switch/spice it up when necessary. Don’t sacrifice your overall progress, though, for the sake of burning more calories.
6. YOUR PRE- AND POST-WORKOUT SNACKS ARE CALORIC CATASTROPHES.
There are a few things to consider when reaching for a snack, whether for energy before a workout or post-workout recovery. According to De Fazio, you should think about the type of workout, its intensity, and the length of the workout before deciding what kind of snack to eat.
"Typically carbohydrates like a banana or a 150-calorie protein bar are ideal before an hour of workout," she said. As for a post-workout snack, De Fazio suggested a protein smoothie or an apple with peanut butter. If you're working out longer and harder, such as going on a long-distance run or bike ride, a higher-calorie snack would be appropriate.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Eliminate the idea of a “snack” (shame on your mother)…It’s nothing but a filler treat with little intent. Instead, plan your meals accordingly. Eat 1-2 hours before your workout to supply the fuel you’ll need for work (exercise), and refuel not long after your session to avoid any nutritional deficiency. Your meal may be as little as 150 or as high as 5-700 calories. Either way, be certain it is a thoughtful combination of fiber, vitamins, protein, and fat. Anything that is a powder or highly processed bar doesn’t count.
7. YOU'VE ALREADY LOST WEIGHT.
Once you've lost weight, your body needs fewer calories to perform everyday activities and, therefore, fewer calories to lose more weight.
"When someone is overweight it is like a healthy weight person carrying 50 or 100 pound weights and going through daily activities. The extra weight puts stress on the body and uses more calories to do everything, from housework to grocery shopping to driving," De Fazio said.
While counting calories isn't always the most accurate or the best way to lose weight, it can be a helpful benchmark to determine where to start to reach your goals. Getting a good baseline to know how many calories a day you should burn and consume to hit your weight-loss goals is beneficial. Still, it's important to remember that other factors, such as stress, sleep, and other lifestyle issues, play an essential role in overall health.
Personal Trainer Wisdom: Assume you’ll use several techniques while pursuing your weight loss goal. If you’re mindful of your progress, you’ll identify the change necessary to challenge yourself appropriately at your new weight. Try to determine the perfect combination of activity and nutrition every three weeks to continue your momentum.
Photo Credit:
Cycling Runner–Should we depend on the caloric estimates on the cardio equipment? Is it getting you closer to your caloric goal?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MICHAEL MOODY, PERSONAL TRAINER
As an author, a personal trainer in Denver, and podcast host, Michael Moody has helped personal training clients achieve new fitness heights and incredible weight loss transformations since 2005. He also produces the wellness podcast "The Elements of Being" and has been featured on NBC, WGN Radio, and PBS.
Michael offers personal training to Denver residents who want to meet at the 2460 W 26th Ave studio….or in their homes throughout LoHi (80206), LoDo (80202), RiNo (80216), Washington Park (80209), Cherry Creek (80206, 80209, 80243, 80246, 80231), and Highlands (80202, 80211, 80212). Michael also offers experiences with a personal trainer in Jefferson Park (80211) and Sloan's Lake (80204, 80212).
If you’re looking for a personal trainer who can curate a sustainable (and adaptable) routine based on your needs and wants, Michael is the experienced practitioner you’ve been looking for. Try personal training for a month…your body will thank you!
